Category Archives: coronavirus

Snapshots of COVID on campus: evidence from late October 2020

Posted on October 26, 2020 by Bryan Alexander

I’m writing this in haste, as I’ve been spending hours in meetings, interviews, and class preparation.  I have an experimental teaching game to share shortly, among other news. Yet at full speed I wanted to share some datapoints from today … Continue reading →

Posted in coronavirus | Leave a comment

Is higher ed’s response to COVID hurting academia’s reputation?

Posted on October 25, 2020 by Bryan Alexander

Yesterday my wife and I took another long walk.  It’s become a Saturday routine for us, doing a four mile loop from our house and through the surrounding area.  We mask up and rigorously maintain social distancing, quickly shunning anyone … Continue reading →

Posted in coronavirus | 6 Comments

Did a county slap a toggle term onto a major university?

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Bryan Alexander

How are colleges and universities handling COVID-19 infections this semester? Of all the many strategies in play now, the Toggle Term has been catching some media attention, probably because it’s more dramatic than an academic year decision.  I’m tracking more … Continue reading →

Posted in coronavirus, personal | 4 Comments

COVID-19 and higher education in mid-October: infections, deaths, plans, seasons, toggle terms, and a data disaster

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Bryan Alexander

To forecast the future, it’s crucial to understand the present. I’ve followed that principle for years.  It informs my work on many levels.  That’s why today I’d like to give you all a sense of where higher education stands in … Continue reading →

Posted in coronavirus | 2 Comments

How does the coronavirus intersect with climate change? Part 2: the dress rehearsal

Posted on October 11, 2020 by Bryan Alexander

What does the coronavirus experience tell us about climate change? Last week I started posting on connections between these two enormous challenges.  There I touched on the ways climate change can change the spread of diseases, the possibility that COVID … Continue reading →

Posted in climatechange, coronavirus | 2 Comments

NPR rips higher ed for poor pandemic testing

Posted on October 6, 2020 by Bryan Alexander

How is American higher education faring this semester, as COVID-19 continues to attack the world?  National Public Radio has a very critical report which should provoke some rethinking, at least. For context, colleges and universities are currently using a wide … Continue reading →

Posted in coronavirus | 8 Comments

How does the coronavirus intersect with climate change? Part 1

Posted on October 5, 2020 by Bryan Alexander

Over the past few months I’ve been blogging, speaking, and writing about some of the largest issues concerning the future of higher education: demographics, inequalities, international academia. I’ve also explored climate change, possibly the largest challenge facing colleges and universities, … Continue reading →

Posted in climatechange, coronavirus | Leave a comment

Trump tests positive for COVID-19: a futurist’s questions and possibilities, plus your thoughts

Posted on October 2, 2020 by Bryan Alexander

It’s going to disappear one day. It’s like a miracle. It will disappear. –Donald Trump Late last night the president and First Lady of the United States were diagnosed with COVID-19, shortly after Trump announced that a close aide had … Continue reading →

Posted in coronavirus, politics | 2 Comments

Two more Toggle Term cases

Posted on September 21, 2020 by Bryan Alexander

When COVID-19 started its terrible career, I forecast that some colleges and universities would decide to switch between in-person and online classes during a semester.  I gave that strategy the name “Toggle Term.”  While no campus wanted to announce they … Continue reading →

Posted in coronavirus | Leave a comment

Imagining higher education after three COVID years

Posted on September 20, 2020 by Bryan Alexander

What happens if we don’t have a COVID-19 vaccine by early 2021?  Or 2022?  In other words, what might the world look like if the pandemic continues at around the present level for several years? Last week I used this … Continue reading →

Posted in coronavirus, future of education, higher education, scenarios | 3 Comments